Northampton student in ‘Best of British’ project

Nicole Le Marie

“I’ve always been drawing, I can’t really remember when I started,” says Jaswant Flora, a recent graduate from The University of Northampton’s Surface Design and Printed Textiles course.

Having only left the university at the start of the summer Jaswant has already started to make her mark in the competitive world of fashion, with intricate hand-drawn illustrations and print designs.

Illustration by Jaswant Flora

And she has already worked with designers like Lauren McCallmont for clients such as Nicholas Kirkwood, ASOS and French Connection.

Her illustrations and print designs have also recently been part of a project, which includes commissions from some of “The Best of British Illustrators” to collaborate with menswear brand Brutus to illustrate directly onto their Trimfit shirts.

“The project was all about finding the best of young British illustrators and designers and bringing them together for this project, so it was a real honour to have my designs picked.

“The task was to epitomise the brand Brutus as well as myself as an illustrator,” said the 21-year-old, who is soon to host her first solo exhibition.

“The shirts are not for sale, but the shirts will become part of their archive for the rest of time.”

Breaking into the fashion industry can be notoriously difficult, but Jaswant has already started gaining experience with some big names in the business.

“It is an industry that can be difficult to get into and I’m working freelance at the moment but I have done some internships like the one with Lauren McCallmont and that’s good way to make contacts and gain experience.”

But although Jaswant’s designs have made their way into the world of high fashion, they are anything but superficial, and the young designer hopes her imprint on style will also provide some food for thought.

“Although I’m interested in the fashion side of things, I am also interested in style making a difference, and I have tried to develop that idea,” she said.

“I often look at pockets of society and the way the media portrays things, like women’s bodies, and I comment on that within my work.

“I have a lot of hidden message in my drawings, that people can only see if they look closely.”

Jaswant’s first solo exhibition can be seen at HE-Art exhibition, on Wednesday, September 26 at The Exchange, 50 Rutland Street, Leicester. Tickets cost £5.

To see more of Jaswant’s work visit: http://jaswantflora.tumblr.com or find her on Twitter jaswant_flora.